Old XCSoar DAT file format

[BDS]

Years ago XCSoar used a DAT file format for terrain files and the old
terrain generator would create a file like filename-dem.dat

Can anyone here shed some light on the file format of those DAT files and
how they were obtained or created?

Thanks.

Bruce

[Frank Beythien[_7_]]

Am 30.03.2015 um 21:21 schrieb bds:
> Years ago XCSoar used a DAT file format for terrain files and the old
> terrain generator would create a file like filename-dem.dat
>
> Can anyone here shed some light on the file format of those DAT files and
> how they were obtained or created?

You could try

http://forum.xcsoar.org/

Frank

[Martin Gregorie[_5_]]

On Mon, 30 Mar 2015 14:21:19 -0500, bds wrote:

> Years ago XCSoar used a DAT file format for terrain files and the old
> terrain generator would create a file like filename-dem.dat
>
That must have been a long time ago. Since version 6.0 (current is 6.7.7)
the file extensions used by XCSoar have been:

..dat = airfields and turnpoints in Winpilot format
..cup = airfields and turnpoints in SeeYou CUP format
..xcm = a compressed file containing the topology and terrain files
..txt has a number of uses:
(a) OpenAir airspace files
(b) airfield and turnpoint notes (these extend the info in
Winpilot DAT files
..tsk = task definition
..sua = SeeYou format airspace files
..prf = XCSoar configuration files
..xcp = glider polars, weights, ballast, etc and ID
..log = XCSoar runtime log
..igc = IGC flight log

..xcp was introduced with v6.0, (pulling together polars from .plr and ID
data from .prf.

..cup and .sua came in with v5.0

Apart from that, file extensions and their related file formats have been
pretty much the same since at least v3.0


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

[Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)]

On Monday, March 30, 2015 at 2:21:23 PM UTC-4, bds wrote:
> Years ago XCSoar used a DAT file format for terrain files and the old
> terrain generator would create a file like filename-dem.dat
>
> Can anyone here shed some light on the file format of those DAT files and
> how they were obtained or created?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Bruce

You have had 2 good replies, I guess my question is....... Why do you want to know? That may yield a totally different response from people on RAS.

[SoaringXCellence]

On Monday, March 30, 2015 at 11:21:23 AM UTC-7, bds wrote:
> Years ago XCSoar used a DAT file format for terrain files and the old
> terrain generator would create a file like filename-dem.dat
>
> Can anyone here shed some light on the file format of those DAT files and
> how they were obtained or created?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Bruce

The DEM files are created by geological surveys (satellite I think) here's the wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USGS_DEM

[BDS]

"Martin Gregorie" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 30 Mar 2015 14:21:19 -0500, bds wrote:
>
>> Years ago XCSoar used a DAT file format for terrain files and the old
>> terrain generator would create a file like filename-dem.dat
>>
> That must have been a long time ago. Since version 6.0 (current is 6.7.7)
> the file extensions used by XCSoar have been:
>
> .dat = airfields and turnpoints in Winpilot format
> .cup = airfields and turnpoints in SeeYou CUP format
> .xcm = a compressed file containing the topology and terrain files
> .txt has a number of uses:
> (a) OpenAir airspace files
> (b) airfield and turnpoint notes (these extend the info in
> Winpilot DAT files
> .tsk = task definition
> .sua = SeeYou format airspace files
> .prf = XCSoar configuration files
> .xcp = glider polars, weights, ballast, etc and ID
> .log = XCSoar runtime log
> .igc = IGC flight log
>
> .xcp was introduced with v6.0, (pulling together polars from .plr and ID
> data from .prf.
>
> .cup and .sua came in with v5.0
>
> Apart from that, file extensions and their related file formats have been
> pretty much the same since at least v3.0

XCM yes - inside the compressed .xcm was the terrain file as
filename-dem.dat. This was the format in 2009 and perhaps for a few years
after that.

It is the -dem.dat terrain file that I am looking for information on.

Bruce

[Chris Snyder]

>
> It is the -dem.dat terrain file that I am looking for information on.
>
> Bruce

If you want to have a terrain file for your area, you should check out the "Map Generator" - http://mapgen.xcsoar.org/ I was able to enter min/max lat/lon and it generated a map in a matter of seconds. I found my lat/lon using Google Map "what's here". Note, I did have to convert the Google Maps lat/lon format to the XC Soar format, but there were plenty of converters on the web.

If you need a hand generating, just post your location and desired radius and some tech-savy person may just do it for you.

[[email protected]]

or you can load "TopHat" by Rob Dunning - which is a user interface that uses XCSOAR - TopHat will go to the internet, show you a list and let you download the files you need - it is so easy, just be sure your device has internet connectivity when you are looking for the Site Files.

WH